Olympic Sports - Aquatics - English Culture Olympic Sports - Aquatics Guest Author - Asha Sahni Diving Diving first appeared at the Olympics in 1904. Synchronised Diving (which accounts for half the Diving medals up for grabs in 2012) did not appear until the Sydney Olympics in 2000. There will be 8 diving events at London 2012 ï¿½ 4 for women, 4 for men. Tom Daley, a young English man who specialises in the 10m platform event, was one of youngest Olympic British competitors ever when he took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Daley has gained Gold medals in European and World Championships annd the 2010 Commonwealth Games. At his second Olympics he will be just 18 ï¿½ a great hope for Britainï¿½s diving future. Swimming The 1908 London Olympics were the first Games where swimming events took place in a pool.

Henry Taylor, born in Oldham in 1885, gained three Olympic Gold medals for Great Britain in 1908 - 1500m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 4 x 200m freestyle relay. A British man did not win an Olympic Gold at swimming again for over half a century. David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse won a Gold medal apiece for breaststroke events between 1976 and 1988. At Stockholm in 1912 a British womenï¿½s team won the 4 x 100m freestyle swimming relay. In the next 50 years three women won Gold medals ï¿½ Lucille Morton (1924), Judith Grinham (1956) and Anita Lonsbrough (1960). Rebecca Adlingtonï¿½s Olympic Gold medals for the 400m and 800m freestyle swimming events at Beijing in 2008 heralded what many hoped would be a renaissance in British swimming.

London 2012 events take place in the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, the exception being the Marathon Swimming event which will take place in Hyde Parkï¿½s Serpentine. Synchronised Swimming Synchronised swimming is a late addition to the aquatics portfolio, first appearing at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison were the first British synchronised swimmers to enter an Olympic event for sixteen years. London 2012 will offers synchronised swimming medals in two classes - duets (ie pairs of swimmers) and teams (groups of 8 swimmers); both duets and teams perform technical and free routines. Unusually, in a sporting world dominated by menï¿½s events, synchronised swimming competitions are for women only; the only other women only Olympic sport is Rhythmic Gymnastics. Water Polo Water Polo first appeared as an Olympic sport at the Paris Games in 1900. Teams from Great Britain attained Gold medals in Water Polo at Paris in 1900, London in 1908, Stockholm in 1912 and Antwerp in 1920.

Hungarian teams then dominated the event for much of the twentieth century. The Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 saw the first womenï¿½s water polo events. Water polo originated in the eighteenth century as a water based form of rugby. It is also said that there was a version of the game a lot more like the polo we see on land, with players seated on barrels (a floating version of a horse!) and using sticks similar to mallets to manoeuvre the ball. London 2012 Water Polo events take place at the Olympic Park in a specially constructed Water Polo arena, adjacent to the Aquatics Centre. Adrian Moorhouse : definition of Adrian Moorhouse and synonyms of Adrian Moorhouse (English) 1982 Brisbane 200 m breaststroke Adrian David Moorhouse MBE (born 24 May 1964) is a British former swimmer who dominated British swimming in the late 1980s. He won the 100 m breaststroke gold medal at the Seoul Olympics .

Since then Moorhouse, a former pupil of Bradford Grammar School , has translated his sporting success to a successful career in the business world, as Managing Director of Lane4 Management Group , a consultancy helping individuals and teams around the world reach their fullest potential. He was voted Best Leader at the Sunday Times Best Small Companies to Work for in 2009 and 2007 and has been listed in HR Magazine's Most Influential UK Thinkers since 2010. He is also a swimming commentator for BBC television. Contents Moorhouse was born in Bradford , attended Bradford Grammar School and went to 4th Shipley Scouts . In 1980 he was selected for the England Junior team and broke the national junior records for both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke. When he was 15, he was chosen for the national senior squad, number two to the Olympic gold medallist, Duncan Goodhew . Moorhouse became Britain’s number one breaststroke swimmer in 1981 when he won a bronze medal for the 200 m in the European Championships in Yugoslavia .

The following year he gained his first taste of gold after winning the 100 m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games in Australia . At the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, Moorhouse was tipped for a gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke but missed out completely coming fourth. “I was devastated”. He says. “After the Games I convinced myself that I had no talent and that I was never going to win again. I didn’t want anything to do with swimming”. He celebrated his comeback in April 1985 when he broke the World Short Course (25 m pool) record for the 100 m, and went on to win the European Championship gold medal in Bulgaria . In 1986, Moorhouse suffered another setback to rank with his Olympic debacle, finishing first in the World Championships in Madrid but being disqualified for an illegal turn.

In 1987, putting the Madrid episode behind him, Moorhouse became the first person in history to swim 100 m breaststroke in less than a minute, out-swimming the former world record holder, Rolf Beab, in front of a partisan German crowd in Bonn , in a time of 59.75 s. He held the world short-course record, as the time was achieved at the European Cup short-course Championships in a 25-metre pool. [1] Moorhouse started Olympic year, 1988, on the right note by winning the 100 m breaststroke at the US Indoor Championships to confirm his status as number one in the world. In September he achieved a lifetime’s ambition at Seoul when, following in the footsteps of David Wilkie and Duncan Goodhew, he won Olympic gold in the 100 m breaststroke. Rivalry with Victor Davis Perhaps the most enduring memories of Adrian Moorhouse's career arise from his arch-rivalry with the late Victor Davis of Canada . It is very rare in competitive swimming to witness an exciting rivalry that lasts for years between two world-class swimmers, but theirs was possibly the best of all.

Victor Davis first encountered Adrian Moorhouse at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane when Davis took gold in the 200 m breaststroke, and Moorhouse took the gold in the 100 m breaststroke. Both races were nail-bitingly close, and set the scene for some epic breaststroke encounters to come in the years ahead. They met again later at the 1982 World Championships in Guayaquil , Ecuador , but this time Davis had the upper hand in both events, taking the gold in the 200 m and silver in the 100 m. Moorhouse, also in his first World Championships, only managed to finish 5th in the 100 m, and 7th in the 200 m. Their next encounter was at the 1984 Olympics , and it seemed that both their chances were enhanced by the voluntary boycott of both East Germany and the Soviet Union. The 1984 Games were perhaps Victor Davis’ finest competition, as he took gold in the 200 m and silver in the 100 m. Meanwhile, Moorhouse suffered badly.

Having had severe tonsillitis just days before the start of the Games, he finished 4th in the 100 m and 6th in the 200 m. Davis, now at the pinnacle of his swimming career, was voted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. At the time of the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh , Victor Davis was universally recognised as the finest breaststroker in the world. He reaffirmed that recognition by taking gold in the 100 m event. However, Adrian Moorhouse was improving rapidly. Now the European Champion, he surprised Davis by sneaking the gold in the 200 m event. By the time of the 1986 World Championships in Madrid , the world swimming media were hyping up the 100 m breaststroke event as ‘the event of the championships’, knowing that it would inevitably prove to be another great battle between Victor Davis and Adrian Moorhouse. The media, along with the 6,000 crowd, were not to be disappointed. Moorhouse was in great shape, and getting faster all the time.

Davis couldn't contain Moorhouse over the final 25 m, and Moorhouse took the 100 m gold in a new European Record of 1.02.01 secs. Davis took the silver in 1:02.71, and looked disgusted with himself as he climbed out of the pool. However, the controversy was soon about to begin. The officials decided to disqualify Moorhouse for an ‘illegal turn’, stating that he had used a butterfly kicking action during the underwater phase of the 50 m turn. TV crews from around the world began to analyse the footage of the ‘illegal turn’ from all conceivable angles, but each time it looked perfectly sound. The British camp tried to appeal against the decision, but the call of the ‘turn judge’ was upheld and Victor Davis was awarded the gold medal, leaving Moorhouse with absolutely nothing. Davis received his gold medal on the rostrum looking decidedly dejected; he was the ultimate perfectionist, and didn’t feel as if he had truly won this race against his closest rival. He also knew Moorhouse well, and was aware that it had taken more than just an "illegal turn" for him to beat Davis by more than half a second.

Later in the same championships, Davis went on to take silver in the 200 m breaststroke — beaten by the emerging Hungarian swimmer, Josef Szabo . Meanwhile, Moorhouse withdrew from the 200 m event with a strained adductor muscle. The final encounter between Davis and Moorhouse at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul , which also proved to be Davis’ final international competition. Both of them had announced before the Games that the 100 m event was to be their main priority. Davis had performed poorly at the Canadian Olympic Trials, and had surprisingly not made the team in the 200 m breaststroke, while Moorhouse was then in the form of his life. He was ranked number one in the world, and his lifetime best of 1:01.78 was then very close to the world record 1:01.65. Davis, still the Canadian Record Holder at 1:01.99, was only ranked 6th in the world going into the 1988 Olympics and no-one really knew what kind of shape he was going to be in. In the morning heats, Davis looked very impressive.

He led the field from the start, and easily won his heat in a time of 1:02.48. Only Moorhouse was able to qualify in a faster time, winning his heat in a superb time of 1:02.19. In the anticipation before the final, many people believed that Moorhouse was the slight favourite, but some pundits still had the feeling that Davis had one more great swim left up his sleeve. After one false start, Moorhouse looked the more nervous of the two behind the starting blocks. Meanwhile, Davis looked very cool and calm. He was now vastly experienced, and ready to deliver the ultimate performance. The race was underway at the second time of asking. Both Davis and Volkov made strong starts, leaving Moorhouse slightly trailing. As the first 50 m unfolded, Dmitri Volkov of the USSR powered into a 2-metre lead, and Davis was matched stroke for stroke by Moorhouse. Volkov touched first at the 50 m mark in 28.12 s, setting a new 50 metre breaststroke world record.

Moorhouse turned 6th in 29.42 s, and Davis turned 7th in 29.46 s. Volkov made an amazing turn, and extended his lead over the field even more. As Volkov reached the 75 m mark, he looked a certainty for the gold medal. He was 3–4 metres ahead of Moorhouse, Davis and Károly Güttler of Hungary , but he was tiring fast. It was at this point of the race where Davis and Moorhouse usually made their move, and they closed in on Volkov. As the swimmers entered the final 5 metres, it was difficult to tell where the medals were going to go. In an extremely close finish, Moorhouse took the gold in 1:02.04, just ahead of Guttler’s time of 1:02.05, only one one-hundredth of a second separating the two of them. The bronze medal was won by Volkov, in a time of 1:02.20, leaving Victor Davis in 4th place, with a time of 1:02.38.

Later career and retirement In 1989 Moorhouse was appointed MBE . He remained as the world number one until 1991. But in Barcelona Olympic Games he finished eighth in the final and soon retired from swimming. He has since enjoyed a successful career as a Management Consultant, co-founding Lane4 in 1995, where he works with a wide range of organisations to help individuals and teams around the world reach their fullest potential and gain sustainable competitve advantage through leadership development, management development, Talent management and assessment, Employee engagement and communications and Executive team consulting.

Adrian was chosen as an official Team GB Ambassador for London 2012 Games and was also a torchbearer References 1962 – 1966: 110 Yards Breaststroke 1970 – 2010: 100 Metres Breaststroke 1930 – 1934: 200 Yards Breaststroke 1938 – 1966: 220 Yards Breaststroke 1970 – 2010: 200 Metres Breaststroke Jubilant Jamieson Adds Second Medal to Team GB's London 2012 Swimming Tally | Total Swimming Home / Jubilant Jamieson Adds Second Medal to Team GB's London 2012 Swimming Tally Jubilant Jamieson Adds Second Medal to Team GB's London 2012 Swimming Tally Michael Jamieson rolled back the years last night and re-ignited on Great Britain's historic Olympic tradition in men's breast stroke as he won a brilliant silver over 200m at the London Aquatics Centre.

Such luminaries as David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse have all clinched Olympic gold medals at breast stroke, but since Nick Gillingham's bronze in Barcelona 20 years ago, there has been a somewhat barren period for Britain's men. That all changed last night as Jamieson came within 0.15 seconds of gold, but his fantastic silver medal behind Hungary's Daniel Gyurta was achieved in his third British record of the Games as he stopped the clock in 2:07.43. Gyurta's winning time of 2:07.28 was a world record by 0.03 seconds. The 23 year old Scot's medal was timely as podium success for Team GB's swimmers has proved hard to come with more fancied athletes such as Hannah Miley, Liam Tancock and Ellen Gandy have all failing in their bids to add to Rebecca Adlington's 400m freestyle bronze on Sunday. Prior to the Olympics, Jamieson has not been talked of as a medal hope for Team GB, which makes his success in London even more satisfying.

Prior to the trials in March, the Glasgow born swimmer had not even swum under 2:10. That barrier was broken as he took silver in this event in 2:09.84 behind Andrew Willis, who placed 8th in last night's final. An inauspicious 12th place finish at the European Championships in May did little to suggest he would be would even be a contender for the Olympic final. However, Jamieson arrived at the London Aquatics Centre this week looking like a different athlete. After narrowly missing out on a place in the 100m breast stroke final, he came back strongly in his 200m heat, placing second to Gyurta in a British record of 2:08.98. He followed this up with a further improvement, winning his semi-final and leading the qualifiers for the Olympic final with 2:08.20. This placed the Bath ITC man firmly in contention for an Olympic medal as he lined up for last night's final.

And it was so nearly a gold as Jamieson produced a storming last 50m, whipping the cheering crowd into a frenzy as he pushed Gyurta to a new world record. Jamieson said: "This result is what I have prepared for for I don't know how many years. It's only in really the last 18 months it's become a target and not just a pipe dream. I think that's probably why I was quite calm before the race, there weren't too many nerves, just excitement. I think that is because I had gone over it so many times in my head, I'd prepared for it in every way I could really." With Jamieson's Bath team mate Andrew Willis also setting personal best times in reaching the Olympic final, it would appear that a return to Britain's glory days at breast stroke in the run up to Rio 2016 is on the cards. There were more gallant Olympic final performances from Team GB's swimmers last night as Jemma Lowe battled hard in the 200m butterfly, eventually winding up 7th.

The women's 4x 200m freestyle relay team, lacking Adlington who was rested for today's 800m heats, placed fifth. Anchored by what is likely to be a swansong Olympic performance for Beijing bronze medallist Jo Jackson, they clocked a respectable 7:52.37 as the United States were convincing winners, ahead of Australia and France. Francesca Halsall scraped into the 100m freestyle final in equal 7th, and will need to improve significantly if she is to fulfill her medal potential tonight. Adam Peaty ready to emulate David Wilkie's Olympic breaststroke gold medal success - Daily Record Sport Adam Peaty ready to emulate David Wilkie's Olympic breaststroke gold medal success The world, European and Commonwealth Games champion insists the Scottish swimming legend’s legacy can help inspire him Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email ADAM PEATY is well aware of Britain’s breaststroke pedigree since David Wilkie grabbed gold 40 years ago in Montreal.

And the world, European and Commonwealth Games champion insists the Scottish swimming legend’s legacy can help inspire him to his own bit of history in Rio. Wilkie became the first British man to win Olympic gold in the pool in 68 years when he stopped a US clean sweep in 1976 by finishing first in the 200 metres breaststroke. David Wilkie winning gold in 1976. Duncan Goodhew then took gold in the 100m four years later before Adrian Moorhouse – the last British male swimmer to stand at the top of the Olympic podium – won over the same distance in 1988. As the only man to break 58 seconds over two lengths of breaststroke in history, Peaty knows expectations are high that he will join the elite club by winning the men’s 100m breaststroke on Sunday. And the English ace, 21, said: “That history behind it will be very good to have. “I’m very confident it’s achievable. All I’ve got to do now is believe and I’ve been doing that for seven years. “I don’t have to change anything. I just need to have that confidence in my race.

I’m world record holder and that’s exactly what you need.” Peaty, who set his world record pace of 57.92 seconds at last year’s British Championships, will aim to emulate his mentor, Rebecca Adlington, in Rio this weekend. There were 48 years between British female Olympic champions in the pool, with Adlington’s double freestyle gold in Beijing eight years ago witnessed by Anita Lonsbrough, who won in Rome in 1960. Adlington added two bronze medals in London but with just one other medal – Michael Jamieson’s silver in the 200m breaststroke – Britain floundered in the pool. But Peaty said: “We’re definitely going to perform well as a team. Compared to London 2012, the British swim team is hopefully not going to be even recognisable.

“Every day’s going to be stacked and we’re going to have a lot of depth in every field hopefully.” Read More GB's Jamieson wins Olympics silver in 200m breaststroke - BBC Sport BBC Sport GB's Jamieson wins Olympics silver in 200m breaststroke By Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer, BBC Sport, at the Olympic Aquatics Centre 1 Aug 2012 Media playback is not supported on this device Gyurta Michael Jamieson produced the swim of his life to take Olympic 200m breaststroke silver and smash his own British record. Only a new world record from Hungary's Daniel Gyurta could deny the 23-year-old gold, while Japan's Ryo Tateishi took bronze. Jamieson , in his debut Olympics, came charging down the final 50m to deafening noise in the Aquatics Centre and closed right up on Gyurta. But the 2011 world champion held on to touch in 2 mins 07.28 secs, just 15 hundredths of a second ahead of the fast-finishing Glaswegian and clear of Tateishi's 2:08.29.

Britain's breaststroke pedigree David Wilkie - silver in 200m 1972, gold in 200m 1976 Duncan Goodhew - gold in 100m 1980 Adrian Moorhouse - gold in 100m 1988 Nick Gillingham - silver in 200m 1988, bronze in 200m 1992 Jamieson's compatriot and training partner Andrew Willis was in the medal mix at 150m but paid for his efforts late on to finish down in eighth. Double Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima of Japan, aiming to be the first man in Olympic swimming history to win the same event at three consecutive Games, could only finish fourth. But Jamieson's surprise medal - he was only fifth at last year's World Championships, and second at the British Championships earlier this year - brought the best noise of the Games so far from the packed stands. Britain's swimmers have under-performed at these Olympics so far, with just Rebecca Adlington's 400m freestyle bronze to show from the first five days of competition.

Jamieson, who came to London as far more of a medal outsider than some of his more illustrious team-mates and set a new British record in his heat, could never be accused of the same crime. The Jamieson sporting pedigree His mother was also a competitive swimmer and his father played professional football for Hearts amongst other clubs. He said afterwards: "I loved it. I had a little more to give after last night. It's so much easier to swim with a bit of confidence behind you. "I cannot believe I have got 2:07, but I forgot about the time tonight - it was more tactical. I tried to stay on Gyurta's shoulder for the first hundred. I wanted to have everything on the line. "I was desperate to get on the podium tonight to repay the faith and support we've had. After last night I thought I could win it but he was too strong in the end. "I had planned for this night and that helped with the nerves beforehand. For so many years I have gone over this in my head. Analysis "Unbelievable swim. Jamieson did everything he could possibly do, he almost ran Gyurta down.

That's one of the best swimming races we've seen all week, and it involved a Brit. Well done Michael Jamieson. He has not lost the gold there, but earned the silver. He was just outside the world record. He knocked two seconds off the British record to get the silver - a great swim." "I couldn't have done any more. It was everything I hoped it would be - the crowd bringing me down the final 50m was the greatest experience of my life." Jamieson's medal was the first by a British male in the pool at an Olympics since Steve Parry took 200m butterfly bronze in Athens in 2004. And when he stood on the podium in front of his home crowd, which included Prince Harry and comedian turned charity swimmer David Walliams, the 17,000-strong support roared their appreciation. With Adlington's preferred event, the 800m freestyle, still to come in the pool, Great Britain could yet match the three medals they won indoors in Beijing four years ago. The team's other three medals at the last Olympics came in the open-water events.

Final Results Swimming: David Wilkie earned his place in Olympic history - Wales Online Sport Swimming: David Wilkie earned his place in Olympic history YOU are always going to be popular in British sporting circles if you can stop an American clean sweep of gold medals. Share Get rugby updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email YOU are always going to be popular in British sporting circles if you can stop an American clean sweep of gold medals. And that is exactly what Scottish swimmer David Wilkie managed in Montreal in 1976 when he won the 200m breaststroke gold. In the process, Wilkie became the first British individual male swimmer to win an Olympic gold for 68 years after female winners Anita Lonsborough, Judy Grinham and Lucy Morton in that period. This was a magical milestone for the man who was recognisable for his massive moustache. He was also said to be the first swimmer to wear a head-cap and goggles together to improve the streamline effect within the water. Throw in the moustache and it was a deadly combination.

Wilkie’s golden moment was a huge achievement also for a swimmer who had acquired the reputation of avoiding hard work and not being sufficiently committed, regarded by some as a no-hoper. So Wilkie's world breakthrough came as a surprise to many when he won silver in the 200m breaststroke at Munich in 1972. He relocated to the University of Miami for several years of intensive training. In that time, Wilkie had won the world 200m breaststroke title in 1973, before breaking the world record and regaining the title in 1975. He also picked up two golds and one silver at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in 1974, and added the European title to his collection. It was 1976 where his finest hour came with that golden moment and his battle with John Hencken, who had won Munich gold.

Guided by British Olympic coach Dave Haller, who is now based in Cardiff and guided David Davies and Ieuan Lloyd to London 2012, Hencken was always more likely to be stronger over 100m, as his rapid arm movements were more suited to a sprint race, while Wilkie’s longer, more rhythmic strokes meant he was fancied over the longer distance. This assessment proved correct as honours proved even for the pair. Hencken, as expected, triumphed in the shorter race, squeezing Wilkie into second, earning the Scot his second silver medal. But Wilkie ensured his place in history with a 200m triumph, winning by more than two seconds and setting a new world record. Wilkie’s triumph signalled the start of a British golden swimming renaissance with Duncan Goodhew (1980), Adrian Moorhouse (1988) and, most recently, double winner Rebecca Adlington four years ago.

Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Gibson's gold turns the tide | Sport | The Guardian Gibson's gold turns the tide Pete Nichols in Barcelona Wednesday 23 July 2003 21.18 EDT First published on Wednesday 23 July 2003 21.18 EDT Share on Messenger Close James Gibson became the first Briton in 28 years to win an individual title at the world championships when he took the 50 metres breaststroke final here yesterday. Gibson's time of 27.56sec was slower than the Commonwealth record he set in Tuesday's semi-final but it was more than quick enough to leave the world record holder and the 2001 world champion, Oleg Lisogor, in his wake. "I was having fun. In the 50m breaststroke, sometimes the harder you try, the slower you swim. I was the most chilled out man out there," said the 23-year-old from Witham in Essex. It certainly did not look that way beforehand, however. While Gibson had exuded confidence after his semi-final success, he appeared anything but calm in the build up to the final.

It was the Ukrainian Lisogor who looked relaxed, and it was Gibson could not stop fidgeting. Nor did the anxieties end when Gibson hit the water, for the race was so tight for the first 40m that a small strip of linen, never mind a blanket, would have covered most of the competitors. We should have had more faith in Gibson, though, who had called it exactly right. At the business end of the race, he had the greater strength and in the final 10 metres, drew clear of Lisogor, and the surprise bronze medallist, Hungary's Mihaly Flaskay. It was predictable enough that when the championship title drought did end, it would be broken by a breaststroker. For 43 years the only global titles won by British swimmers have been in the breaststroke discipline with the likes of Anita Lonsbrough, David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse bringing home the bacon. Gibson will have his work cut out if he is to emulate that illustrious quartet in the Olympic Games, though.

All four won Olympic titles (Wilkie won three world titles as well in 1971 and 1975),but for Gibson to do so, he cannot rely on the 50m race, which has only been a world championship event since Fukuoka two years ago, and does not appear on the timetable for Athens. "I think I'll confiscate his gold medal, it's no good to him being the best in the world in that event. I'll just leave him with the bronze that he won in the 100m on Monday, to motivate him," said his coach Ben Titley. While Gibson was holding his press conference - more of an Oscar speech than a question and answer session - he was also able to watch the swimmer who will provide him with the strongest opposition in Athens, for the 200m breaststroke semi-final was being shown on the conference television. Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, who set a world record in the 100m, was just fractions outside the 200m world record. The good news, though, is that Ian Edmond should be the swimmer chasing Kitjima in today's final.

Edmond's time as the second-fastest qualifier, 2:10.69, was a personal best by almost a second, broke Nick Gillingham's long-standing British record, and shaved a fraction off the Commonwealth record too. As expected, Michael Phelps won the final of the 200m butterfly, but appeared not to be overly concerned with breaking the world record he set a day earlier in the semi-final. The 18-year-old American won in an economical fashion only scooting clear in the last 50m,but still recording the second-fastest time in history. It made sense to keep a little in reserve for Phelps had the 200m freestyle relay shortly afterwards, and Phelps does not usually swim freestyle relays. It goes without saying that he was good; his opening leg time for the US was 1:46.6 and would have placed him third in the individual final behind Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband. It was not enough to give the US the relay gold, though. That went to Australia, anchored home by Thorpe, who has now collected three gold medals at this championship.

The fourth will come harder though, it is against Phelps in the 200m individual medley tomorrow. EXCLUSIVE: Former swimming star Gillingham went to check on Olympic silver medalist Jamieson ... who recently had his heart RE-STARTED! | Daily Mail Online Former swimming star Gillingham went to check on Olympic silver medalist Jamieson ... who recently had his heart RE-STARTED! comments After his recent heart ‘scare’, it would seem prudent to ask just how hard is Michael Jamieson pushing himself? Over four days last September, Nick Gillingham got to see first hand. In many ways, the 25-year-old Scot’s career thus far has echoed that of the Englishman. Both 200 metres breaststrokers, both first burst on the scene in a Commonwealth Games before going on to win an Olympic silver medal two years later. Both, potentially, part of a golden era. Gillingham had, of course, the great Adrian Moorhouse to help drive him on and silver at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 was followed by bronze in Barcelona four years later. He was also a world, European and Commonwealth champion, who broke three world records during a distinguished career.

Heart scare: Olympic silver medallist Michael Jamieson recently revealed he had to have his heart re-started In truth, at their peak in the late 80s and early 90s, Gillingham and Moorhouse, gold medallist in the 100m in Seoul, were merely the latest in a long succession of British breaststroke greats. David Wilkie and then Duncan Goodhew - both Olympic gold medal winners - had preceded them. In terms of a legacy, it’s a lot to live up to but Jamieson, for one, has taken it in his stride. An injured bicep hampered the Glaswegian at the world championships in the summer, although he still managed a respectable fifth. In the wake of his performance at the London Olympics, where he was pipped for gold by Hungarian Daniel Gyurta, Jamieson stated his desire to improve. Breaking the world record, as he did in the Olympic final, is an ambition as, of course, is the Commonwealth Games where he is determined to go one better than his silver in Delhi three years ago.

Pushing hard: Jamieson said he was 'pushing a bit too hard' in training Whether or not recent events will affect him long-term, only time will tell. Jamieson Tweeted that his heart had needed to be ‘restarted’ due to an irregular rhythm a week last Wednesday. That he was back in the pool three days later perhaps tells its own story. Gillingham knows all about the pressure to perform that pushes world-class athletes to breaking point in training — and he knows what Jamieson is striving for. ‘I had the best swimmer in the world on my doorstep,’ he continued. ‘I saw Duncan Goodhew win. I saw David Wilkie win. It was all the historical stuff as well as Adrian being up there when I was coming through. ‘We’ve already seen what Michael Jamieson can do. 'An injury-free Michael is going to be very consistent. (England’s) Andrew Willis is solid. But there are others coming through, as well, and they’ll really be fighting for bums on seats for Rio.

British record: Jamieson broke the British 200m breaststroke three times on the way to winning silver at London 2012 ‘It was a little bit like that with myself and Adrian because it wasn’t just the two of us. There was James Parrack from Leeds and he was well ranked. ‘That competitive fire is very much in your belly at a domestic level - and that leaves you better fuelled internationally. ‘Michael has been in a difficult place and I have been in a difficult place in my career. 'This has been the first real setback he has had, when he didn’t take the world title and didn’t medal because of an injury. ‘He lost a lot of weight. He went down to 78kilos and he needs to be 83. But he is getting back up there now and works very hard on his strength and conditioning. Strong: Gillingham says Jamieson is a very powerful athlete ‘So, how does he do it (break the world record)? It’s based on power. He needs to be fit, he needs to be technically excellent. He has that on check. But if he loses his power, he won’t swim at the same velocity.

'He’s trying to get that back. It’s taking longer than he thought but he’s starting to take a lot of confidence now. ‘I think the world record will drop to around two minutes five in Rio. If these guys aren’t thinking about swimming that right now, then someone is going to step up and steal the gold medal. ‘If Michael can swim 2mins 7seconds injured, which he did at the British Trials in the summer, he’s got to be thinking along those lines. He’s a very powerful athlete.’ Winner: Nick Gillingham became the first swimmer ever to win the title the European Championship 200 metres breaststroke title three times Jamieson competing in the men's 200m breaststroke final at the 2012 Olympic Games Since retiring in 1996, Gillingham has developed a performance-analysis system through his company Sports Communication Group (SCG), with his expertise being put to good use at Olympic trials and last summer’s IPC World Championships. It’s safe to say, he knows and loves his swimming. So when he heard the best of Britain’s breaststrokers were to gather at a training camp last September, Gillingham couldn’t resist.

After all, Jamieson would also be in attendance. ‘I was down at the British Breaststroking Camp at Millfield in September,’ said the 46-year-old. ‘I was initially there just out of interest. I called up (Team GB head coach) Bill Furniss, who I’ve know since I was 17. I just said: “I’d love to see what you guys are doing”. ‘So he said to come down and, in the end, I was working alongside Jon Rudd, the camp’s head coach. I was giving technical advice and it was great to be involved. ‘It was great to see the 19 swimmers (male and female). The male swimmers are more well developed — they are older than the girls — but there’s a lot of talent in both groups. ‘The men, if you take our best guys and look at the world rankings like for like, are even stronger than the USA. It’s certainly an exciting time for British breaststroking and it could be a golden era.

Olympian: Nick Gillingham won a silver medal at the Olympic games in 1988 ‘There are certainly some good names who could be huge names over the next couple of years.’ The nine men there consisted of Jamieson and his Scottish compatriots Craig Benson and Ross Murdoch, plus England’s Harry Ackland, Robert Holderness, Alex Murphy, Adam Peaty, Christopher Steeples and Andrew Willis. Another Englishman, Daniel Sliwinski, was missing through injury. Gillingham was impressed by what he saw. ‘I remember Jon and I were having a right laugh at training one day,’ he said. ‘Some of the girls were coming in and mucking about on their phones at poolside. ‘So Jon and I were having a laugh at these girls looking at Twitter or whatever. But most of the guys were coming in and they had their heads down, focused. ‘And I said to Jon: “Look at that person in the corner”. One guy had tucked himself away, head down, removed himself from the group - not in an anti-social way - just so he could be completely and utterly focused. And that person was Michael Jamieson. ‘That was like me.

I liked quiet - I liked to be focused in whatever I did. He did remind me of myself, just in his persona.’ Competition: Adrian Moorhouse used to battle it out with Nick Gillingham in the pool That focus is going to be needed. In terms of Commonwealth rankings, Britain has the top five swimmers in the 200m breaststroke. Jamieson currently leads the way but Willis isn’t far behind. And Gillingham insists that there is much more at stake than just medals at Glasgow 2014. ‘It is going to be a showdown next summer,’ he enthused. ‘Not just because it’s a Commonwealth Games — but because it’s getting closer and closer to the 2016 Olympics. ‘If you are standing up and beating your arch rival at a major games, that’s going to send out a strong message. It’s a showdown - it’s the gunfight at the OK Coral. ‘I’m looking forward to both the 100m and 200m. You have the likes of Benson and Murdoch, both injury-free and strong, and those are two guys to really watch in the 100 breaststroke from a GB perspective.

‘That does come with a big “but” because I’ve also been doing a little work with Peaty. He’s also technically superb. He’s 19 and he’s impressive at all levels. He’s a very exciting competitor and the other guys will be aware of that. Big win: Nick Gillingham's first major medal came at the Commonwealths in 1986, which were held in Edinburgh ‘Jon told them: “I don’t want to make this too intense but the person next to you could take your seat on the flight to Rio. You need to be constantly aware of that and challenging yourself in training and every time you are around these people”. ‘And Adam was quite fierce in Millfield. He’s not the only one who has a great attitude but every single length, he had great focus. ‘I was also very impressed by Ross. I certainly think the selection for Rio will come off the men’s list.’ Gillingham’s first major medal came at the Commonwealths in 1986, which were held in Edinburgh. Come next year, he’ll be in attendance when the Games come to Scotland once again.

And there’s no doubt he’ll be watching with interest when the breaststrokers take to the Tollcross pool. London 2012 Olympics: Michael Jamieson takes silver in 200m breaststroke | Daily Mail Online When Michael Jamieson sent his last tweet of the day, little more than five hours before swimming the race of his life on Wednesday night, he said he would be ‘emptying the tank’. But he did so much more than that in the 200m breaststroke. He took what could be the most unexpected British silver medal of the Games with a performance that needed a world record by Hungary’s Daniel Gyurta to beat him; a performance that almost blew the roof off the Aquatics Centre and also brought 50,000 fans at Celtic Park to their feet as they watched the race unfold on the big screens before their European encounter against HJK Helsinki. Scroll down for video Big moment: Michael Jamieson celebrates his silver medal in the 200m breaststroke Not much in it: Daniel Gyurta (left) just had the edge over Michael Jamieson ‘That was better than playing for Celtic,’ said an ecstatic Jamieson afterwards. What a race.

What a 48 hours for the 23-year-old Glaswegian who had the talent to follow his father into the world of professional football but chose, at 13, his mother’s sport of swimming instead. In three races over two days Jamieson broke the British record three times. He arrived here in London with a personal best of 2min 9.84sec, having finished fifth in the world championships last year shortly after recovering from serious injury and so nearly missing the Olympics. He beat Kris Gilchrist into second in the British trials by 0.02sec, Gilchrist deciding to retire when he failed to book his place here. On Tuesday, however, Jamieson also took Gilchrist’s British record with a time of 2.08.98 in the heat before qualifying fastest of the eight finalists with another British best of 2.08.20. It was a seriously quick time. Fast enough to have won in Shanghai last year and take silver in the Beijing Olympics. It was also the third fastest time this year and the eighth fastest in history. In the final, however, Jamieson knew he was in serious company.

It might have been a first Olympic final for him and his training partner in Bath, Andrew Willis, but to his right he had the world champion while two lanes to his left stood Kosuke Kitajima, the defending Olympic champion and record holder. Getting there: Michael Jamieson swam a great race in the 200m breaststroke final Well done: Michael Jamieson (left) is congratulated by team-mate Andrew Willis after the 200m breaststroke After the semi-final Jamieson said it was going to be tough. ‘There are a lot of big hitters out there in the final, guys more accomplished than me at this level,’ he said. ‘I’ll have to find more time.’ He found more time. Somehow, he found 0.77sec to finish ahead of Kitajima and the other Japanese breaststroke specialist, Ryo Tateishi, who took bronze. To touch the wall ahead of Jamieson, Gyurta, who took gold in the worlds 12 months ago, had to break a world record that had been set in the now-banned techsuits in 2009.

Gyurta finished in 2.07.13, with Jamieson following him with the fourth fastest time in history; 2.07.43. ‘I can’t believe I’ve swum 2.07,’ he said. ‘It has been an amazing night. I was getting the old goosebumps when I stood behind the block but the crowd were unbelievable. I can’t thank them enough. It’s been a great day for team GB all round. ‘The fact the race was screened live at Parkhead before their match was amazing. I can’t thank everyone enough. I knew I was capable of getting a medal. My times in training told me that but this is special.’ It was such a gutsy effort. After 50m Jamieson was third, and after 100m he was fourth before turning for the final straight in joint third. But he finished faster than anyone — the only swimmer of the eight to dip under 33 seconds for the final 50m and that final burst propelled him past Kitajima and away from Tateishi to take silver.

World beater: Daniel Gyurta celebrates winning the 200m breaststroke final with a new fastest time Done in: Michael Jamieson gave it everything trying to catch Daniel Gyurta The crowd were terrific, Jamieson making the point afterwards that he could hear them willing him on at the high-point of every stroke. But he was also inspired by the sight of seeing Bradley Wiggins and the British rowers, and a good luck message he received beforehand from Celtic manager Neil Lennon. Jamieson joins a long line of great British breaststrokers, from David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse to Nick Gillingham. ‘I’ve met David Wilkie a couple of times and he’s a name in the record books. Anyone would like to emulate what he has achieved,’ he said. He did not quite match Wilkie, the gold medallist in Montreal in 1976, but he swam the best part of eight seconds quicker than his fellow Scot. He also went one better than the British girls have so far in the pool, with Rebecca Adlington taking only a bronze thus far when so much more was expected of a golden generation of female swimmers.

Reason to be cheerful: Michael Jamieson was happy with his silver medal But in this good-natured battle of the sexes, Adlington did at least predict there could be a medal for Jamieson. ‘Obviously everyone wants to talk about the girls but I think the boys are strong as well,’ she told Sportsmail last week. ‘You need to look out for Michael Jamieson.’ Willis, like Jamieson coached by the same Dave McNulty who guided Jo Jackson to a bronze behind Adlington in the 400m freestyle four years ago and had coached Gilchrist prior to his retirement, trailed home in eighth, the 21-year-old unable to reproduce his semi-final form. His time will come, according to Gilchrist, but Jamieson succeeded thanks to a great work ethic and a long, perfect stroke that enabled him to become the 100th British swimmer to medal at the Olympics. ‘I’ve never done this before,’ he whispered to Gyurta after appearing at the post-race press conference. He had never swum like that before either. Big screen treatment: Michael Jamieson is a Celtic fan and supporters at Parkhead watched him race

Question: At which stroke did David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse win Olympic Gold medals?
Answer: BREASTSTROKE